Paterson revamping school programs for non-English speaking students

By JOE MALINCONICO

Paterson Press

PATERSON — Frustrated by the lack of academic improvement among Paterson students whose native languages are not English, city education officials are restructuring their programs geared towards those children.

Paterson Board of Education headquarters

As part of the overhaul, the district plans to eliminate its current practice of combining such students from different grade levels in one classroom, officials said.

The district also will place greater emphasis on teaching students who are not proficient in English the content they need to learn in subjects like math, rather than focusing on developing their English skills, officials said.

Rogelio Suarez, the administrator who oversees the bilingual and English as a Second Language programs, said the students still would be spending 100 minutes per day learning English. But their classes in other content areas would be taught by teachers who can communicate with them in their native languages to ensure they learn that material, officials said.

Officials said the district is still working on the details of the restructuring. Suarez said it would take effect in September. The plan was discussed at last week’s Board of Education workshop meeting.

Paterson students with limited English proficiency (LEP) have not achieved the same modest gains in standardized tests that other city youths have attained, according to statistics provided at the meeting.

For example, the percentage of Paterson’s LEP elementary school students who had proficient scores in math on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test dropped from 40.1 in 2012 to 38.3 in 2013, according to the district’s annual report.

Meanwhile, the percentage of general education elementary school students who had proficient scores in math rose from 60.2 to 62.4, according to the district.

Paterson revamping school programs for non-English speaking students

PATERSON — Frustrated by the lack of academic improvement among Paterson students whose native languages are not English, city education officials are restructuring their programs geared towards those children.

As part of the overhaul, the district plans to eliminate its current practice of combining such students from different grade levels in one classroom, officials said.

The district also will place greater emphasis on teaching students who are not proficient in English the content they need to learn in subjects like math, rather than focusing on developing their English skills, officials said.

Rogelio Suarez, the administrator who oversees the bilingual and English as a Second Language programs, said the students still would be spending 100 minutes per day learning English. But their classes in other content areas would be taught by teachers who can communicate with them in their native languages to ensure they learn that material, officials said.

Officials said the district is still working on the details of the restructuring. Suarez said it would take effect in September. The plan was discussed at last week’s Board of Education workshop meeting.

Paterson students with limited English proficiency (LEP) have not achieved the same modest gains in standardized tests that other city youths have attained, according to statistics provided at the meeting.

For example, the percentage of Paterson’s LEP elementary school students who had proficient scores in math on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test dropped from 40.1 in 2012 to 38.3 in 2013, according to the district’s annual report.

Meanwhile, the percentage of general education elementary school students who had proficient scores in math rose from 60.2 to 62.4, according to the district.